New iPhone X problem has some people hearing static and distortion through the earpiece

Hot on the heels of a report that some iPhone X owners are experiencing a vertical green line on their brand new displays, there’s now word that there’s another iPhone X issue impacting users. Though far from a widespread problem, MacRumors relays that a number of iPhone X owners are noticing a distinct buzzing or crackling sound when playing audio through the device’s stereo speakers at a high volume. Specifically, the crackling is said to emanate from the earpiece at the top of the device.

The issue was first brought to light via a Reddit thread a few days ago, and as the iPhone X continues to land in the hands of new customers, the number of affected users is steadily rising. While some users only experience the distorted sound when playing audio at a high volume, others have noticed subpar quality sound when playing audio even at relatively normal levels.

The following comment via Reddit is representative of what most impacted users seem to be experiencing.

I have his same problem as well with my iPhone X. The speakerphone for an $1100 phone should be at least as good as it was on the iPhone 6 and 7, but instead, it’s crackly, edgy and buzzy. After taking my iPhone X back to the Apple store, they gave me a new one…which has the SAME problem. So, it seems this is a universal issue, and I sure hope Apple gets to the bottom of it and gets it fixed ASAP.

Incidentally, not everyone has been lucky enough to be graced with a new device. Another commenter on the thread said that he was denied a replacement, with Apple store “geniuses” telling him that the problem is likely software based and that they should come back if the issue persists following a new iOS update.

You might recall that iPhone 8 owners experienced essentially the same problem immediately after the iPhone 8 launched in September. Apple subsequently fixed the issue a few days later with the release of iOS 11.0.2.